Yeah, I’m in a joke-cracking mood right now. You would be too if you were the guy who everyone thought was a goner when the Strogg shot down our dropship. Every marine I meet around here treats me like I’m a god or something.

I just think of myself a survivor.

Building an arsenal for the big fight

I’ve survived my fair share of Strogg attacks already, between trying to hook up with the rest of Rhino Squad and helping them destroy the air defense cannon keeping the USS Hannibal from landing. (I’m writing this from my quarters on the Hannibal, where we’re regrouping before the next mission.)

Touch of Evil. Use the powerful lightning gun to literally shock the Strogg.

Thankfully I got a shotgun from Corporal Mahler on a previous mission, plus a grenade launcher from Lieutenant Voss. Both of them deal out a lot more damage than my old machine gun, especially at close range. And firepower is what you want when you’re navigating the Strogg’s facilities.

While wandering around the ship, I‘ve overheard chit-chat about some of the really amazing weapons available out there: a nail gun, a rail gun, a lightning gun. Even something called the dark matter gun, which sucks the Strogg into a ball of dark matter and vaporizes them. Sounds like it could be the only way to defeat the Strogg’s leader, the Makron.

Yeah, there’s a new Makron. A marine managed to get past the Strogg defenses and kill the old one, but these guys are resourceful. All they had to do was build themselves a new Makron the same way they constantly replenish their army with fresh troops: a torso here, a few limbs there, some weapons augmentations and you have a new Strogg.

Where do they get those organic parts? From us, of course. I’d hate to be a marine captured by the Strogg and put through that process. Give me a quick way out, if it comes to that.

We Have Incoming! The Strogg attack from the air too.

A fearsome opponent

There I go again, looking at the worst possible scenario, but it’s hard not to when you’ve seen what I’ve witnessed. The Strogg are brutal creatures. They have no remorse, no compassion. I was gung-ho to get involved in this counter-attack, especially after what happened on Space Station Armstrong, but actually seeing these guys operate on their home turf can make even the toughest marine a bit queasy. Every move they make seems to scream, “We will annihilate you.”

It’s easier when you have a few men watching your back, I’ll tell you that much. Those are the best missions, when you can rely on your fellow marines to help take the brunt of those Strogg attacks.

Sometimes, though, Sarge sends you off by your lonesome to retrieve a medic or even just find a way to open a door. When it’s just you and those grungy, dimly-lit corridors, you never know what obscene creature is going to jump out at you next.

The battle plan

Luckily, I’ll be part of a group for the next mission, at least in the beginning. We just came out of the briefing and, let me tell you, it’s going to be a doozy. Here’s the thing: Stroggos is home to this huge computer network called the Nexus. It sends wireless communications to the Strogg military through relay points called Tetranodes. Take out a Tetranode and you seriously hamper their ability to coordinate attacks in that area.

Get Me a Medic! Stat! One of many characters you can interact with.

The core of this system is the Nexus Processor, which is located in this huge facility called the Nexus Core. We hope that knocking out the relay points will be enough, but if it’s not, we’ll have to eliminate the Nexus Processor too. According to Corporal Strauss, the Processor is an enormous living brain that only the Makron has ever seen. We’d be the only humans to ever lay eyes on it.

Lucky us.

More Machine Than Man. The Strogg combine organic and machine parts to build otherworldly creations.

I’m signing off now. They’re yelling for me to head outside and join the convoy. I hope I make it back to continue my tale of the war against the Strogg.

If you liked this game, check out:

• Battlefield 1942
• Doom 3
• Halo: Combat Evolved
• Return to Castle Wolfenstein
• Star Wars: Battlefront
• Unreal Tournament 2004